Monday, October 14, 2013

The Moon and the Stars

Night does not fall, it rises.
                                        --in "Day into Night" by James B. Kaler

After days and days of rain,
a sudden burst of sunlight occurred early this afternoon.
It came and went in less than two minutes.
But I was encouraged.


Tonight while walking my dog, for the first time in a long time,
the sky was clear enough for me to see
 that the moon glowed silver,
and it shone a mystical light on the black water in the marsh.
There is something mysterious and beautiful 
about moonlight reflected on dark water.


The breeze sent wisps of clouds flying past the moon.
I had heard that Venus, the evening star, was visible these last few days
so I looked around for it and found it in the sky.
It twinkled and sparkled, a single pinpoint of light. 
A smaller planet burned red nearby.
Could it be Mars? Maybe Mercury or possibly Saturn,
which is supposed to be visible this October?
I didn't know for sure.


I turned for home; the air was fresh from all the recent rains.
The waxing moon shone on the water and through the pines
and a train whistled low in the distance.

There is something very peaceful about walking in the autumn darkness
with only a pekingese, the moon, 
and the evening star as companions.
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